St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-05-29
Pictures From the Grand Stand at the
West st. Paul Base Ball Grounds
This Season.
Some of the Regular Spectators, Without
Whose Presence the Game
Can Not Go On.
Various Remarks Heard at Critical
Points in Amy One Of the North
western League Games.
How Murphy Stole Home---It's Easy to
Explain Away Amy Game
After It's Over.

AT 8 o'clock the gong fastened to the
grand stand at the base ball park is
struck once. Immediately after nine
men wearing knickerbocker suits leave
a bench to the right of the home plate
and take positions in the diamond and
Outfield. These are the visitors, for the
visitors bench is at the right of the home
plate, and they practice first. Here the
real interest in the game begins, and, in
the absence of the official each man in
the grand stand appoints himself UNI
pire and captain pro tenn, and proceeds
TO size up the players during the
fifteen minutes of practice. AT this
stage of the game Henry Nichols
is present. So is Ramsey Crooks, also
Judge Flanagan and Jim Doran. Al
FlOurnOy comes a few minutes later,
and Whitney Wall follows directly.
The chances are that Mayor Smith is
present, though since he has been made
mayor he has less time than is
desirable to devote to the ma
tionai game. Before the fifteen
minutes of practice are over, Cal Stone
has in most instances come within hear
ing distance of the reporters stand and
bet 50 with M. j. Roche that the visitors
will win. Pat Rasche has settled down
for his two hours of solid enjoyment
and George Nettleton has Sc
cured three bags of peanuts and
1T ready to hear ''play ball"
Fifteen minutes after the first tap of
of the gong another jerk is given to the
string and Immediately the st. Paul
team leaves the bench at the left of the
home plate and takes the positions
lately held by the visitors. Then it is
that the crowd, which has grown to
pretty respectable proportions in the
grand stand, begins to size up the
game.
A YER BATIM REPORT
of just what is said in the grand-Stand,
with punctuation marks indicating just
how it is said, would make pamphlet
about SYo., 100 D., of mighty interesting
reading. No sooner is ball batted to
Cleveland at the short field than five or
six voices cry out:
Nov, Cleye!"
''Bet he makes wild throw!"
sit never would do to make such a
tumble as that in the game"
''Look at Crooks at second"
''Will SoWderS pitch to-day?"
''What'S the matter with Pickett's
hand?"
''That must be a twenty-ounce glove
Legg has on his left hand"
These are some of the remarks that
are interspersed between the cries of the
gaminS of lemonade, ice cold" pea
nuts, a nickel bag to-day" ''Score
cards 5 cents,' ETC., etc.
At precisely $50 o'clock John Barnes
craWled down under the grand stand
and, for the third time, pulls the string
attached to the gong, and a moment
later the st. Paul men come in from the
field, the umpire sets his teeth together
for the death struggle of nine rounds
which he is about to have
with the grand stand, new
white Spalding ball is taken from
the red box, examined by the umpire
and rolled down to the pitchers box.
his hands and rub the ball once or twice
in the fine sand of the pitchers box,
the cry ''play ball" rings out on the air
and a silence comes over the grand
stand. AS rule this silence con-
tinues until the first bats
man knocks ''pop up" to
crooks who gather it in, or the umpire
and the pitcher have secured a combina-
ton of three strikes and four balls, so
that the next ball delivered will settle
it some way. At this stage the remarks
break out about in this fashion:
''Now wait for it,
"Bet he strikes out"
'He's good waiter"
'.The last ball should have been a
strike"
THAT umpire's no good"
snake him hit it,
By this time thd pitcher has delivered
the ball, and the chances are the man
dies at first base Then there's faint
ripple of applause, and as the second
man on the score card steps up to the
home plate John Barnes makes big
figure ''1' on his score card. All
Manager Barnes attempts to do dur
ing the game is to keep track
of the batting order, furnish